The fog that blurred the monsters' senses became dark. And everyone felt chills on their backs. It's as if something had joined their battle.
Something unknown yet.
The loud cheers of the joyful knights turned into silence. All of them are silently observing their surroundings. Nervousness filled their system, and the hope they felt was shaken once again.
"Nobody moves." Grand Duke Adri ordered calmly, but he moved even without seeing his path. He gave the order so he could move safely without bumping into another since he somewhat remembered their positions. He decided to approach a certain point where he felt a chilling presence approaching them earlier. Just before the darkness came. But he was stopped in his tracks when a sudden shout exploded from behind him.
"Argh!"
Shouts and painful groans reverberated somewhere. But the knights could tell those noises came from only a single person.
"Make light!" Luven ordered the magicians, and one obeyed immediately.
Sparks ignited in the magic circle, but it only lasted for a few seconds. The sparks died without even turning into a complete ball of light, and the magic circle disappeared.
"W-What?" The dumbfounded magician uttered.
"Why? What happened?" Lionel's voice was heard a few meters away from them. Clearly showing that everyone is paying attention to the magician's attempt to make a light.
"T-The magic circle disappeared entirely. And I can't seem to create another." The man answered.
"Let me try." Shelly's voice responded. Another spark of light appeared on the back of the man. The sparks are stronger than the first magician created, and the magic circle is larger. The light it gave showed the lady's face outlined with shadows, looking serious and focused on her magic.
But like the first attempt, Shelly's sparks died and the magic circle disappeared after just a few seconds longer than the former.
Shelly was bewildered. She felt something repelling her magic and totally extinguishing it.
"Is it the same?" Her brother asked her.
She didn't answer but tried to make light once again. But this time, her circle crumbled even before completion.
"What is this? I feel like my magic doesn't work." She finally exclaimed.
Other magicians tried to use their magic as well, but as Lady Ferrer said, their magic only worked in the beginning, lasted for a few seconds, and completely disappeared in the dark.
"Does it only happen to natural magicians?" The marquess asked.
It was the Grand Duke who answered.
"It's the same. I tried using my magic, but it didn't work."
After hearing this, Marquess Luven gathered his mana to create a tiny wind vortex in his hand but his surroundings only got windy.
"What should we do?" Shelly asked; a slight trembling could be heard in her voice.
Fighting the unknown is a lot more dangerous than a battle with monsters. How could one win without even knowing his enemy?
"Calm down." Said the Grand Duke. "Keep quiet." He added.
When the restless murmurs of the knights quieted down, they could finally hear the little noises around them.
The shouts still exist, and from time to time, a gust of wind and clanking noises drowned the shouts.
Someone's fighting with someone.
Kyden thought that even though darkness had covered their vision, he felt unthreatened. The chilling sensation he had earlier was still unknown as to why and what it caused. But he could be sure that it wasn't because of the darkness.
"The darkness doesn't seem a danger to us." He spoke. "But it feels like we're being covered, so not to be seen by something."
The knights listened to him. It was Marquess Luven who replied.
"But who would do this?"
"I only knew one who can manipulate darkness."
The Grand Duke's answer created confusion.
It's true. The only one who can use darkness is that person.
But they were all thinking the same.
That person was dead.
* * *
The bustling capital of the holy land is currently holding a Thanksgiving festival for the abundant harvest of their nation.
During summer every year, the land of the divine is very lively. Citizens are exchanging their own harvest with each other, and prayer rituals are held in the main temple every day.
It was also a time when newly born children were baptized at the temple by the priests and were given a second name.
Kids are singing songs of praise on the streets, while adults are busy checking every stall for a product they want to buy. The nobles and the commoners are in harmony, and a very joyful and cheerful atmosphere is present.
All of their faces were filled with contentment and genuine kindness.
Only with the exception of one person.
That person is currently lying on a huge branch of an old oak tree in the middle of the vast clearing found at the back of the main temple.
The holy nation is primarily comprised of slightly sloping terrains where temples are built on higher grounds. The main temple is placed on the highest terrain, overlooking the entire capital of the land.
This made the oak tree a very suitable place to watch over the events unfolding below.
The white clothing of that person hanging loose on the tree sways with the wind, together with her long black hair where half was tied with white long lace behind her.
Her face was filled with boredom.
It has been two years since she set foot in that place. She thought she could live freely and safely, but time passed and she saw that land no more than a selfish cage now.
It cages the once-free doves to protect the divine lineage even if it means incapacitating their wings.
She sighed deeply after remembering what she had been through ever since.
She would wake up at five o'clock to prepare for a prayer service held every morning at the east temple which lasted for two hours of continuous mumbling while kneeling.
After breakfast at seven-thirty, preparation for her studies of theology starts at eight o'clock.
Then prayed again to give thanks for their food every day; after lunch, an everyday visit with the Saintess to bless the devotees at every temple. The nation has seven temples representing six inferior gods of fertility and birth; love and marriage; harvest and weather; wisdom and knowledge; magic and spells; and lastly redemption and forgiveness.
The seventh is the main temple where the father of the gods resides; the god of light and creation.
Mona snorted at the thought that only the god of darkness and destruction wasn't included.
She lifted her hand and touched the protruding small branch of the oak tree in her reach. Her index finger touched the skin and the color began to turn black and decay.
"Stop hurting the innocent tree."
A gentle voice mixed with a bit of mischief suddenly came from below her.
Mona looked down and saw a man wearing white and golden clothing. His long black hair, an unusual color belonging to the highest priest, was braided and nestled on her shoulder.
The man in front of her is the first highest priest of the Holy Nation. In other words, the 'king' of the holy land.
The one gifted with revelations.
The oracle.
The only person in the entirety of the holy nation who knows that Mona can now wield the power of darkness and destruction.
But instead of kicking her out, the high priest had kept it hidden and instead, personally taught her how to wield it properly by relying on the old books of origin.
At first, Mona was skeptical.
She was thinking that if even the lower high priest shunned someone with dark magic, how could she expect their leader to treat her differently? But to her surprise, the priest embraced her darkness and even listened to her stories about the memories of her landlady she kept seeing.
And help her find explanations as to why she inherited Luna's magic. But until now, their efforts have been in vain.
Magic still resists her. So, it was really unexplainable how mana now exists in her body.
'It's just so contrasting...' She thought back then.
"Why don't you go with Elizabeth to visit the festival in the capital?"
She got up from her lying position and sat up on the branch instead.
"She's becoming quite annoying recently. She rarely talks in front of people and keeps on ignoring me." Mona pouted.
First Highest Priest Yunis laughed.
"Then how about a trip outside?"
"Your Highest Eminence, I've already seen everything on this land. What more could interest me?"
"You talk as if you've been here all your life." First Highest Priest Yunis replied grinning at her.
She stared at the man whose face appeared the same as her age, but way older than her.
"I wanted to explore the outside world instead. I mean, I entered here after I just came into this world. I've only known places on the map." Like a child whining to her father, Mona swayed her legs hanging on the branch back and forth.
"Exactly what I just suggested." First Highest Priest Yunis responded warmly and looked at her fondly.
"Hmph! When did you suggest ---," Her words were cut off when she realized what the first highest priest was saying.
Enthusiastically, she jumped and immediately landed on the ground.
"You're saying you will let me leave the holy land?!"
"Yes."
"Why?!" Even though she was filled with excitement and joy at the news, she couldn't help herself to ask why just now.
"Have you forgotten the prophecy?"
Mona shook her head and mumbled, "A flower will bloom from a rotten seed, and it will bring forth peace upon darkness."
She recited the prophecy that she always heard from the priests' lips whenever she passed them.
As if doubting she was the subject of the prophecy.
First Highest Priest Yunis smiled knowingly but somehow looked enigmatic.
"Indeed. The chaos has arrived. It is now the time to calm the dark."